gardner



I (No Model.)

W. A. GARDNER. ARTISTSEASEL.

No. 440,225. Patented N0 v. 11, 1890.

Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM A. GARDNER, OF BUFFALO, NEXV YORK, ASSIGNOR T 0 MICHAEL J. STARK, OF SAME PLACE.

ARTISTS EASEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,225, dated November 11, 1890.

Application filed February 17, 1889. Serial No. 340,753- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS GARDNER, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on an Artists Easel; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanyingsheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has general reference to artists easels; and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings already mentioned, which serve to illustrate my said invention more fully, Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of my improved easel. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, illustrating the device in a knockeddown condition. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. at is a rear view of the upper portion of the device, the back-supoortingbrace being removed to show the construction of the hinge mechanism.

Like parts are designated by corresponding letters of reference in all the figures.

The object of this invention is the production of an efficient and serviceable artists easel, which may be readily adjusted to any position and locked threin by the table or shelf, and which may be easily knocked down and again locked in that position, so that the easel may be conveniently carried about. To attain this result I construct my easel of the two rails A A and provide each with a longitudinal slotted aperture to a, respectively. The upper ends of these rails are beveled in opposite directions at b, so that when the rails are spread apart to their full capacity theinner opposite sides of these bevels will meet, as shown in Fig. 1. These two rails are hinged together at the point of intersection of the inner opposite sides by a peculiar hinge, consisting of an oblong plate D on the face of the said rails and a further plate E at the back thereof, said plates having apertures To the rails A A is removably affixed a shelf or platform F, consisting of a Z-shaped rail having its member F longitudinally slotted at f, and two bolts f, having thumbnuts of usual construction, passed through said slotted aperture f and the slotted apertures a a of the railsA A ,whereby said shelf is secured to said rails and the latter locked together, so that the entire device will stand firmly upon the floor and cannot readily be knocked over. The shelf F is vertically adjustable to the extent of the slotted apertures a a, and when the device is knocked down, so as to bring the members A A into close proximity, as shown in Fig. 2, this shelf will assume an oblique position, and the bolts f being tightened, will hold the device in this folded-down condition, in which it may readily be carried about. The bolts f are of the carriage-bolt pattern; but the part adjoining the head is preferably made diamondshaped, whichv I find to be a more desirable construction.

It will now be observed that the railor brace G, being secured to the leaf E of the plate E, and having its upper'end beveled at 9, forms, when spread, as shown in Fig. 1, an efficient brace for the device, which needs no other means of preventing its backward movement in view of the fact that said beveled portion g, when bearing against the back of the jointed rails A A, forms an efficient stop for the same.

The shelf F is made wide enough to carry, in addition to the usual painters canvas,

(upon a stretcher,) also the artists pencils,

brushes, and other paraphernalia, which is quite an advantage in a device of the kind described.

The entire apparatus may be cheaply manufactured; but it is also well adapted to receive thehighest style of ornamentation for parlor and other uses without any change of construction.

Having thus fully described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure to me by Letters Patent of the United States- A knockdown easel having its members A A longitudinally slotted and their. upper ends beveled and jointed together, as described, the front and back plates having the bolts passed through said plates and the mem- Attest:

MICHAEL J. STARK. WM. 0. STARK. 

